Treasure Island Music Fest Lineup
What do you do when one of the greatest bands of our generation releases an album that they claim to be their last and then embark on a tour that may also very well be their last? You pray that they play within driving distance, and you buy tickets fast. Such is the case with LCD Soundsystem, and I felt a cold sweat drip down my forehead when I realized that I couldn’t make their show in Pomona, CA earlier this summer. Lucky for me (and everyone else willing to drive 325 miles for a good music fest), LCD Soundsystem will be headlining the first evening of this year’s Treasure Island Music Festival, which takes place October 16th and 17th in San Francisco. No need to just get hung up on the dance grooves of LCD, however, because you can also look forward to some of the greats of every genre, from Deadmau5 and his electro attack to Broken Social Scene and their indie charm. Tickets can be purchased here, running $67.50 for a single day pass and $119.50 for both days. The two-day musical extravaganza will be held on the man-made Treasure Island, which sits in the San Francisco bay in between SF and Oakland. The history of the island and its construction is actually pretty interesting (yea, I’ve been nerding out a bit), and I’ve probably spent more time reading about that then the actual event. None of that information is likely to add much to your musical experience however, but this certainly will:
I Can’t Tell if They’re Kidding: A Look at Die Antwoord
Anyone who was lusting over the lineup for the ill-fated Hard LA knows that there would have been a lot of acts to look forward to. What many of you may not have known, myself included, is why the Hard LA poster had “Die Antwoord” affixed on the list third from the top, just below N*E*R*D and with many other hugely talented acts listed below them. There are only two possible answers: a) concert posters don’t mean shit (I’ve always suspected); or b) Die Antwoord deserve our attention. Ironically, “Die Antwoord” actually means “the answer” in Afrikaans, a language often used in their raps and one of the 11 official languages spoken in the group’s homeland of South Africa (thanks Wikipedia!). So what are they the answer to? At least your online boredom, and below are two videos released by the group that shed a little bit of light on who they are. Don’t expect them to answer all of your questions though, because odds are you will have way more after seeing these guys in action.
Hard LA Canceled
The big plans that the folks at Hard had for acts like M.I.A. and Sleigh Bells fell through yesterday when Hard released a statement on their website explaining that the event had been canceled. This is the second Hard event in recent memory that has gone south, after last year’s Hard Summer was shut down by officials. According to the statement about this week’s Hard LA, the cancellation has nothing to do with security concerns. However, security concerns were the reason that everyone suspected after over 200 injuries and the death of a 15-year-old girl at the Electric Daisy Carnival just weeks ago at the Coliseum sparked concern. After that event the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, lead by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, took aim at what they viewed as a dangerous rave scene and voted to establish a task force to enhance rave safety. Although none of this is mentioned in the statement, it is addressed by Hard promoter Gary Richards (Aka Destructo) in an interview with the LA Times Music Blog. Said article also insinuates that low advanced ticket sales may have contributed to the decision to cancel the event. All is not lost, however, as Hard has announced that Die Antwoord and Destructo will play a transplanted show at the El Rey Theatre on the same night, July 17, with tickets available at the Hard website. Hard will offer refunds to those who have already purchased tickets to the cancelled show, or any Hard LA tickets can also be used for entry to the fast approaching Hard Summer. Additionally, according to Gary Richards’ twitter, many acts from Hard LA will now play at Hard Summer on August 7, but so far only Flying Lotus and The Gaslamp Killer have been confirmed.
A Few Reasons to go to Hard LA (None Involving M.I.A.)
The hype hangs around M.I.A. so thick that you could cut it with a knife. She would probably prefer that you use a brightly colored piece of cutlery from some far away indigenous tribe, from whom she has likely already sampled some type of sound. After all, she has been a busy girl lately. She’s been finishing her third album, putting out a hyper-violent video for said album, conducting embarrassing interviews with New York Times reporters, bashing said reporters in mediocre songs, and now preparing for her headlining performances at Hard LA and Hard NYC. Although all these things have made for very entertaining reading, they have not made for the best listening. M.I.A. has been streaming the new album from her MySpace, and this looks to be the least enjoyable set of tracks that she has offered to date. A few songs off of the new album /\/\/\Y/\, such as “XXXO” are almost listenable, and that’s a pretty generous statement. There is a heavy dub-step influence on many of the tracks, but they seem to be lacking something, and I’m convinced that her vocal talents just don’t translate very well into that medium. I listened to the entire album for the first time today, gave some tracks another chance with a second listen, but that will likely be the last time I ever listen to /\/\/\Y/\. As I’m not one to dwell in the negative, lets take a look at what you can actually get excited about if you already bought tickets to Hard LA at the Los Angeles State Historic Park on July 17.
